Help Iraqi children with trauma caused by the violence they were exposed to, war casualties and fleeing their homes.

Christian’s solution

Design a puzzle game made out of ceramics where the parts carry family member’s names to start up a conversation between the family elders and other relatives and the young children suffering from trauma.

Our take

As a group, we appreciated the effort to try to create a sense of family and community by opening up the conversation between the different age groups. However, we feel that the game is not challenging enough for all age groups and would get boring after played various times. We accept it as an ‘ice breaker’, a first attempt to start a conversation and play an enjoyable game in harsh conditions. At the same time, we feel that its benefits are very short term ones and would not assist the children in their lives as a whole.

Christian chose ceramics for the game pieces as it is a rather cheap, natural resource found in the middle east. However, we doubt the actual local manufacturing of this game in the local community. We also are concerned with the usage of the game pieces as weapon due to their weight, fragility and sharpness.

The usage of local ornamentation is an important part of the design. We agree with...

The development community is blessed with several amazing women leaders. I've been volunteering with Engineers Without Borders for several years now and have met some amazing people doing amazing things. I'm an engineer by training, so I'm not accustomed to seeing so many females around. Unfortunate, but true. However, through my volunteer work I've met some of the amazing females advocating social equality around the world -- some in their spare time and others are also budding entrepreneurs.

Anurupa Rao - is a design engineer at D2M Inc, but in her spare time she's developing an extremely low-cost water storage container with International Development Enterprises for farmers in Myanmar. She's also an active volunteer in Engineers Without Borders

Emily Pilloton -- founded a non-profit in San Francisco called Project H Design. Her focus is using design to address some of the world's most pressing humanitarian needs. She's currently expanding her non-profit.

Ann Torres -- a mechanical engineer at Function Design who also leads an Appropriate Technology Design Team, focused on technology design development for the developing world.

Erica Estrada -- co-founder of d.Light Design, a for-profit organization based in India that develops high-quality LED lighting for low-income communities throughout India... and soon the world, I hope.

Jocelyn Wyatt -- leading the Social Impact + Business Factors group at IDEO, one of the world's largest design firms. Jocelyn has a long list of...

"We must face our own ugliness. We often must become painfully aware of the unworkability of a pattern before we're willing to give it up. It often seems, in fact, that our lives get worse rather than better when we begin to work deeply on ourselves. Life doesn't actually get worse; it's just that we feel our own transgressions more because we're no longer anesthetized by unconsciousness."

— Excerpted from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

As a group we presented a previous senior thesis project that was focusing on the environment. Takeshi Seki worked with a not-for-profit-organization called CENYC, their focus has been improving New York City environment for over thirty years now, and they emphasizes the awareness among new Yorkers as their main focus. Takeshi’s approach towards this thesis project was to reduce the carbon dioxide through installing reinforcements for trees so that it could prevent traffic from hitting it, and also providing more green in the city due to the lack of parks we have in New York City.
The strength of this project is to gain awareness of environment in New York City, the benches he designed increases the social engagement in the urban community. However, the concept of reducing carbon dioxide from furniture making is not effective due to the lack of information on materials usage and production. Furthermore, his design in general wasn’t relatively connected to the environment; and as well as the function doesn’t speak for its design. Lastly, Takeshi Seki wasn’t able to adapt his not-for-profit-organization into his final product.
Through analysis of Takeshi Seki’s thesis, we all approved that there are many different ways to approach this issue. One of the ideas we came across was to produce more oxygen by processing photosynthesis without greens or transferring carbon dioxide into oxygen through current technologies. For example, one idea was to have filters installed i...

As a group we presented a previous senior thesis project that was focusing on the environment. Takeshi Seki worked with a not-for-profit-organization called CENYC, their focus has been improving New York City environment for over thirty years now, and they emphasizes the awareness among new Yorkers as their main focus. Takeshi’s approach towards this thesis project was to reduce the carbon dioxide through installing reinforcements for trees so that it could prevent traffic from hitting it, and also providing more green in the city due to the lack of parks we have in New York City.

The strength of this project is to gain awareness of environment in New York City, the benches he designed increases the social engagement in the urban community. However, the concept of reducing carbon dioxide from furniture making is not effective due to the lack of information on materials usage and production. Furthermore, his design in general wasn’t relatively connected to the environment; and as well as the function doesn’t speak for its design. Lastly, Takeshi Seki wasn’t able to adapt his not-for-profit-organization into his final product.

Through analysis of Takeshi Seki’s thesis, we all approved that there are many different ways to approach this issue. One of the ideas we came across was to produce more oxygen by processing photosynthesis without greens or transferring carbon dioxide into oxygen through current technologies. For example, one idea was to have filters i...

As a group we presented a previous senior thesis project that was focusing on the environment. Takeshi Seki worked with a not-for-profit-organization called CENYC, their focus has been improving New York City environment for over thirty years now, and they emphasizes the awareness among new Yorkers as their main focus. Takeshi’s approach towards this thesis project was to reduce the carbon dioxide through installing reinforcements for trees so that it could prevent traffic from hitting it, and also providing more green in the city due to the lack of parks we have in New York City.

The strength of this project is to gain awareness of environment in New York City, the benches he designed increases the social engagement in the urban community. However, the concept of reducing carbon dioxide from furniture making is not effective due to the lack of information on materials usage and production. Furthermore, his design in general wasn’t relatively connected to the environment; and as well as the function doesn’t speak for its design. Lastly, Takeshi Seki wasn’t able to adapt his not-for-profit-organization into his final product.

Through analysis of Takeshi Seki’s thesis, we all approved that there are many different ways to approach this issue. One of the ideas we came across was to produce more oxygen by processing photosynthesis without greens or transferring carbon dioxide into oxygen through current technologies. For example, one idea was to have filters i...

On a recent trip to Thailand, we were advised by the Healthy Travel Clinic to get malarial meds if were were going to the northern part of the country near the borders. We were indeed going north, but on advise from a friend who lives in Bangkok, we decided not to pay for those meds, and we're still alive since our return. However, our Thai friend and myself attracted lots of mosquito bites, in between permethrin treated clothes and 100% DEET sprays. One thought came to mind, and that is "if we annihilate the mosquito population, it would rid this world of many life-threatening diseases". Any objections? Of course, the whole 'playing god' issue comes into play. But what do mosquitos do that are beneficial to any species? The only things I've come up with so far is that they are food to spiders, dragonflies, lizards, mosquito hawks, and certain bug-eating plants. Aside from that they are carriers of death, pain and annoyance.

With all these deadly diseases that mosquitos carry, it's very clear we need to get to the source of the problem. Rather than spending billions on trying to find treatments and prevention, I say attack the source of it.

The projects have been chosen. We are now accepting applications from Charlottesville, Virginia-area designers who would like to participate in the First Annual Design Marathon and donate 12 hours of professional expertise to meet the needs of the ten community organizations.

Each individual designer must apply. Selected designers will be placed on the project they are best suited for. Project teams will not necessarily be made of of individuals from the same firm. If you are selected to be a designer your firm will be acknowledged as a sponsor of the event.

Alloy Workshop is an architecture, construction, and graphic design studio based in Charlottesville, Virginia. We started the Design Marathon ball rolling and hope it continues to gain momentum. Please help us get the word out!

Imagine the place where you spend most of your time each day.
where is it? - School

Imagine it as you most want it to be.

1.What is your #1 vision for change that will make it that way?
To make our school a place where students can interact to each other regardless of majors. In my opinion, the way the school spaces out each mojor in different buildings is not sufficient for the interaction between students in different majors.

After your #1 thing happens, how will everyone benefit?
Students will be able to hang out more often and share the information about what they are studying in their major. I think this interaction will give students a more wider point of view on design study.

Give some example of what you can do (on your own/with a group) to make your vision a reality.
Design social places like a cafeteria or small campas that students form different majors can easily access.

Imagine your neighborhod the way you most want it to be.

1.What is your #1 vision for change that will make it that way?
To make my neighborhod a more secure place at night time so that people can walk around even after sunset.

After your #1 thing happens, how will your neighborhood benefit?
People don't feel fear of being robbed or anything while they are out at night time.

Give some example of what you can do (on your own/with a group) to make your vision a reality.
Put more street lumps to light up streets. Have policemen patrol more often to prevent crimes.

I think we all must believe in ourselves that we can have better life.

If we believe in what we believe in, people’s mind and behavior will change. This will make different future.

I guess having religion, or having something to believe in are important.

Imagine your neighborhood the way you most want it to be.

I believe in honest and compromising neighborhood.

I think it’s critical to talk with your neighbor in good mannerism.

People will start to respect each other.

Give greetings to neighbors.

Imagine your country the way you most want it to be.

Happier Family, Healthier Community

Well-taught education from family and school that will not only make a person’s knowledge grow but also improve personality of a person (responsibility, love, etc).

If people learn to love each other and have responsibility, then there will be less sad consequences such as immoral acts, suicide, or murder, etc. This result will make healthier community and nation, moreover, the world.

The least thing I can do is love my family first and care for them. Talk about my problems and don’t let it destruct yourself because it will hurt people around you as well. Then start to care about my neighborhood and friends that at least saying hello is important.